Is it possible to climb Mount Teide from sea-level in 2 days for a reasonably fit person? Essentially, I was thinking of walking up to the Altavista mountain refuge on the first day (can that be done in about 10 hours walking?) and then up to the summit (and back) on the second day (but probably take a bus back down to sea-level).

One thing, I've heard and learnt in high altitude mountaineering: Its not only about climb to the summit. Its also about getting down!
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WedaPashiNov 18 '13 at 8:16

@WedaPashi losing height rapidly can never cause any issue. The oxygen level only increases with the decrease in altitude. Hence it shouldn't be a worry.
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UnsungNov 18 '13 at 15:23

@Unsung: true, But i didn't mean to say what you interpreted. I meant, a lot of people, really so many of them have died while coming down from a peak after a successful summit attempt, just out of over-confidence, excitement and Needless Hurry
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WedaPashiNov 18 '13 at 15:26

@WedaPashi Oh like that. Don't worry, Mount Teide is non technical. I'd been there some 3 years back. You have cable car facility to get down.
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UnsungNov 18 '13 at 15:27

@Unsung: :) For that matter, how much did the expedition cost? (I know this will be tagged as a "Too Chatty" comment. #wink)
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WedaPashiNov 18 '13 at 15:31

6 Answers
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I wouldn't recommend gaining 3700+ meters in 2 days. It's not about fitness. It's just about how well your body adapts to altitude. I agree that 3700 meters is not too high to get severely sick due to AMS, but then, it's not recommended to gain more than 1000 meters of vertical distance per day.

Also, I know friends who have suffered from altitude sickness at as low as 8000 feet (2500m approx).

Things to keep in mind:

AMS can hit even a very healthy and fit person. Don't overestimate. Be practical.

Read about AMS before heading out. Make sure you know when/where to head back in case you observe some AMS symptoms.

What altitude do you live at? Someone who lives at a higher altitude has a higher probability of adjusting to the altitude gain than someone who has lived his life at sea level.

But wouldn't that also apply when starting from the car park (after getting there by car/bus from the coast)? What options are there to not do the whole height difference in 2 days?
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cluonsNov 17 '13 at 17:00

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@cluons If you travel by car(which many recommend), your acclimatization would be even less. In case of Mt Teide, there are very few options. When I did Mt Teide 3 years back, there were no camping options(not sure how things are now) and we stayed at Altavista for the first night (We had no option to stay more than a night, due to which one of my friends had to return due to AMS). We could go only upto 3400 due to ice. Having said that, the rest of us had already been above 3500m more than once.
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UnsungNov 18 '13 at 15:56

I recommend to do it in 3 days. Stay the first night in the hotel Parador at 2000m and explore the Canadas on the first day if you have energy left. On the second day hike to the Rifugio Altavista. Don't start too early, the hut opens late at 17:00. On the next morning get up early to see the sunrise. This will give you enough time to adjust to the hight.
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Kai K.Dec 3 '13 at 7:03

The rule about the 1000m per day does not really apply here. GenerallY heigths >2500m are considered high altitude, so only the upper 1200m count. And the relevant height is the one, where you sleep. So you really do not have to worry about AMS. Of course you can still have problems with the altitude (headaches, dizziness, ...), but to that you can just react when its happening, nothing serious. This is very similar to the question: outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/6285/…
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imsodinApr 14 at 19:12

I did Teide last year aged 60; I'm fit, but not a climber as such - I occasionally do a few of the Scottish Munros and run 5 - 10k twice a week only. 20 years ago I did Mont Blanc in the Alps, which I found desperately hard, and didn't acclimatise at all well despite 3 days altitude preparation.

Getting up and down Teide was easy in comparison. I left Puerto de la Cruz about 7.30 in the morning, drove to the little Montana Blanca car park (there is a small notice board to confirm where you are), did the climb of 4,500' or so up past the Altavista quite straightforwardly, back down the same way and was back in Puerto de la Cruz by about 7.00 in the evening. Above the Altavista I took it at more of a plod, and stopped for a wee breather every 5 - 10 minutes; breathing is definitely affected up here, but I didn't have any of the severe headaches, sickness and disorientation I had on Mt Blanc.

Back at the hotel, I felt great, had a shower, then started a beer; I couldn't finish it; went straight to bed, had a poor nights sleep, didn't feel at all well the next day, couldn't eat, and only started getting back to normal the day after that - all absolutely classic altitude after-effect symptoms.

One other minor complication doing it this way is getting the right permit time slot for the summit; I actually arrived at the checkpoint about 1/2 hour before the start of my slot, but the guard let me through after my best pleading look. I have looked at doing Teide in a day from sea level but don't think there's enough daylight - for me anyway; I don't fancy the prospect of stumbling around in a remote, exposed, high altitude volcanic landscape in the dark!

if you are still interested in doing the walk up from the sea-level, don't hesitate. It is a fabulous walk and easy. Just take the traditional 'Camino de Chasna' described here http://www.canariascnnews.com/index.php/especiales/travel/item/453-el-camino-de-chasna-la-hist%C3%B3rica-ruta-de-humboldt. It takes you from Puerto de la Cruz to the high plain of Las Cañadas. There you take the standard route to the peak from the Portillo information centre. As you walk, you acclimatise a lot better than driving up. You can get to Altavista by 21 hrs, if you don't take very long breaks on the way up. Be sure to take enough water because there are no springs from the urban areas of Orotava until you reach the Portillo. In the refuge at Altavista you can buy water or drink their not potabolised water. I did the walk in June and it was a dream. Good walking to you, Thom

I just did it last week in 1 day, starting at 6am at Porto de la Cruz and after 10h20 of walking with few stops I reached the summit at 3,718m a bit after 4pm. Then you can go down for the night at Altavista (c. 3,200m) and see the sun rise the morning after (with a great view of the shadow of the Teide).

You need to book in advance the permit to reach the summit (at least a good month in advance), for the sun rise from Altavista there is no need of a permit. You can get water at Portillo and also in the bathrooms at the top of the cable car (c. 3,500m) (I drunk both and did not get sick).

Obviously you need to be fit and cope with the altitude (I have been at 4,200m before but after 3 days of progressive climbing).

Of course it is possible. Kilian Jornet made the 4km to the summit of Aconcagua in one day but hey, he is one of the best mountain runners out there. We don't know how fit you are @marc and the same vague formulation is in the question: What is a reasonably fit person?
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WillsApr 14 at 18:59

I did something a little like this in 2008, though less impressive than Lars & co. I hiked up to the observatory above Puerto de la Cruz on one day, and did Teide from the Montana Blanca bus stop a few days later. So not a continuous ascent, oh dear no, but it did acclimatise me to the altitude. Two wrinkles: if you don't have a summit permit, the 'legal' Mirador de Forteleza has a cool view; but do watch out for the sulphur fumes. If you are awake, the stink will drive you off, but do not take a nap up there!

The answer is absolutely yes. DO IT! If you do have trouble with the height just go back down. As somebody said it's not about how trained you are, the affect is individual and you have to get up there to see how it specifically affects you and the adjust to the situation. Needless to say your heart must be healthy doing this.

I did a badly planned and equipped little trek for one day in 2013. I went from sea level (Puerto de la Cruz) to about 2,500 m and back again after some beer and water in Las Cañadas del Teide. It was dark when I got back after this 60k walk. As you can see I didn't go straight at all and had to battle with dogs and thirst since I had too little water with me. But besides some ill tempered dogs and really dumb path choices there was great trails and small roads all the way up up and it was truly epic. Some of the descent was pretty much jogging down in a straight line through the the terrain, which was a bit gnarly, until I hit the roads further down. I didn't want to end up on the mountain in the dark.

I had trainers and shorts, t-shirt, sunglasses, sun screen and a hoodie in a little backpack. Food wise I had two candy bars, an apple and 1 liter of water with me... as I said badly planned, time and food wise. The clothes and trainers worked really well.

I could really feel the height (heavy in the head/head ache, swollen hands, breathing like pregnant hippopotamus) but other than feeling tired with a "few" blisters on my feet I felt freaking great when I got back!

With better planning and maybe some advise from any of you of the straightest/fastest path up, or if someone wants to join, I'd like to see if I can do Teide (view point at 3 500) from sea level and back again in one day. I'm 46, healthy and in OK shape and I have done a few really average marathons done in the past. I'll be in Puerto de la Cruz Nov 23rd to 30th 2014.

You can see the plot from my trek. The spike in the end is from a 2 km car ride I got from a local since it was getting dark and I had no clue which way to go except down ;)

Hi Lars, and welcome to The Great Outdoors. I don´t really understand your answer - you tell us, your trip was badly planned among others on the time aspect, but you want to do it not only again but add another 1,000m of altitude in the same time? That sounds very strange to me - maybe you could explain why you want to do so and think its not pure craziness.
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Paul PaulsenOct 11 '14 at 10:13

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Hi, thanks! With better planning; start much earlier (instead of 09.37) more food, more drink and a good plotted route I think it's very doable and not crazy at all. I just think it could be really a lot fun but very challenging :)
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LarsOct 11 '14 at 15:41